Wrapping Up Too Early for Christmas Inspections

August 07, 2023
Table of Contents

Although Christmas is still a few months away, the complexities of apparel supply chains mean that now is the right time to prepare for the seasonal winter spike.

Inspection is a crucial aspect of the QA process for apparel. This challenge is accentuated by the fact that many brands and retailers are thousands of miles away from their factories and production sites.

A pre-shipment inspection (PSI)—carried out after 100% of your good are produced—is the bare minimum in any inspection protocol. It ensures that you do not ship defective goods to your consumer, which could hurt your bottom line, your brand reputation, and even harm your consumers in the case of critical defects.

However, inspections need to be carried out throughout the production process to ensure that you are putting out quality products. Here are some of the inspection services provided by Third Party Inspectors (TPIs) and how they can help you as you prepare to roll out your winter products.

Raw Materials Incoming Check

Let’s say that you produce “ugly” Christmas sweaters. Prior to shipping, you discover that they stretch very easily after washing and do not return to their original size and shape. You determine that this is due to the use of certain acrylic fibers.

Imagine this happens in the middle of December. Christmas is under two weeks away and you’re out of time. At this point, you have to ship a product that is inconsistent with your brand’s representation, thus affecting customer retention. This becomes even more problematic if you’re a high-end label.

On the other hand, if you had inspected your raw materials before production even began, you could have streamlined production, reducing wastage and scrap down the line. This is not always the simplest task, which is why apparel manufacturers often enlist the services of TPIs. TPIs can help you determine the quality and quantity of raw materials needed to meet quality benchmarks.

IPI and DUPRO

TPIs also perform two other types of inspection: Production Checks (IPIs) and During Production Checks (DUPROs). IPIs are conducted when 10-20% of your inventory has been produced, whereas DUPROs are typically conducted when goods production is at 40-50%.

Even after having sourced the correct raw materials, you may run into issues farther down the production cycle. For example, you produce Santa Claus costumes and discover that the red clothing dye fades very quickly.

An IPI can help you identify what went wrong in the dyeing process so you can take corrective measures. This may entail changes to the dyeing process or even changing the dye that you use.

Your dyeing issue now appears to be resolved, but you discover that Santa’s trousers rip very easily. DUPRO can help you determine whether this is an issue with stitching or another factor in the making process. Again, you can take corrective measures and streamline production as you go. DUPRO will also help you confirm if your new dyeing process continues to meet quality benchmarks.

So, by isolating issues early in production, you can reduce wasted inventory and protect your bottom line.

Other Types of Winter Apparel

Christmas might be fast approaching, but so is winter—at least in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that goods such as thermal underwear, down-filled jackets, fleece sweaters, heat tech apparel, and even snow boots, will be in high demand.

Each one of these goods comes with their own set of inspection challenges. In the case of down-filled jackets and thermal underwear, climate change can affect the demand for your products. The last few winters in Hong Kong have been warmer than expected, which have left many companies with excess inventory.

TPIs can help you conduct audits that check the amounts and conditions of materials held. They can also provide advice on best practices that help release extra value through your warehousing system.

Fleece sweaters are still in demand well above freezing temperatures. Therefore, they aren’t as susceptible to warmer winters compared to thick, insulating inner and outerwear. However, during the trim process, you may discover that your fleece sweaters do not zip up. If you identify this issue during an IPI or DUPRO you can ensure that your reworks are less costly and that your consumers are more satisfied.

In the case of heat tech exercise clothing, fitness buffs and gym enthusiasts may be put off if your clothing lacks strong sweat-wicking properties. If you discover this issue early in the production process, you can create alternative heat tech exercising garments that pass the necessary chemical tests for sweat wicking before you resume mass production.

Needless to say, hardline goods such as snow boots will have different quality specifications compared to clothing. You may have to produce up to a dozen different sizes and half-sizes, ensuring that there is standardization and consistency in each size category. If you discover that many of your size 9’s measure up to a size 8 (or vice versa), you can ascertain the point at which the variation begins, and implement corrective measures for the rest of the production cycle.

Ensuring that your Christmas and winter apparel meets quality specifications can be a challenging and frustrating process. With its inspection services InSpec by BV is perfectly positioned to help get your winter apparel to market ahead of the upcoming Christmas spike.

Got questions about InSpec?
Talk with our specialist.
I hereby certify that I have read and I agree with the Personal Data provision of the Conditions of Service and the Cookies Policy

I hereby consent to the collection and use of the personal data I provide, with the understanding that the personal data could be used by Bureau Veritas Hong Kong Limited, its affiliates, and, where applicable, its subcontractors, for the purpose of performing the services I request.

Personal Data

1. Client’s personal data are collected by Bureau Veritas Hong Kong Limited, having its registered office at 1/F, Pacific Trade Centre, 2 Kai Hing Road, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, (“BV HK”) and are subject to computer processing in order to enable Company to provide the Services. When requesting the Services, Client has been asked and has given express consent to the collection and reasonable use of Client’s personal data for purposes relevant to the Services.

2 Client’s personal data are intended for BV HK, its affiliated companies and, where applicable, subcontractors engaged in performing the Services. They will be retained for a period of time as required by the relevant local tax authorities where the Services are performed.

3 If Client’s personal data are collected in the European Union, they may be transferred outside the European Union, on the basis of standard contractual clauses established by the European Commission, and the standard contractual clauses are available on request, by clicking on this link: Contact Us .

4 In accordance with the French Data Protection Act of 6 January 1978 as amended and the General Data Protection Regulation of 27 April 2016, Client has the right to access, rectify and erase any personal data concerning Client, as well as the right to limit the processing, the right to oppose to the processing or the right to portability of your personal data. In addition, since Client has given consent to the collection and use of your personal data, Client has the right to withdraw its consent at any time. In that event, the performance of the Services may be suspended or terminated if the absence of consent renders the performance of the Services impossible or impracticable. Client also has the right to set out general and specific guidelines that define how it intends these rights to be exercised after death. Client can contact us to exercise its rights in this paragraph by clicking on this link: Contact Us Finally, Client has a right to lodge a complaint to the Commission Nationale Informatique et Liberts (CNIL).
Would you like to receive marketing communication from Bureau Veritas